Resilient shaft coupling



March 27, 1934. G, BRQFELTH 1,952,970

RESILIENT SHAFT COUPLING Filed Feb. 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 27,1934. G. E. BROFELTH RESILIENT SHAFT COUPLING Filed Feb. 24, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I m i Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES RESILIENTSHAFT COUPLING Gustav Emanuel Brofelth, Halmstad,, Sweden, as-

signor to Aktiebolaget Malcus Holmquist,

Halmstad, Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Application February24, 1932, Serial No. 594,860 In Sweden June '7, 1930 7 Claims. (01. 64--96) The present invention refers to resilient shaft couplings of thetype consisting of a driving disk member facing a driven disk member andflexibly connected thereto for the purpose of resiliently transmittingmotion from a driving shaft to a driven shaft, and the invention has forits object to provide certain improvements in said type of coupling.

According to the invention, the disk members of the coupling areprovided with substantially diametrically opposed axial grooves adaptedto receive the end portions of resilient means, such as spring bars orthe like, and to hold said end portions without any screw connections orsimilar fastenings apt to cause fatiguing and deterioration of thespring material.

Other features of the invention will appear from the followingdescription with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustratea few embodiments of the invention by way of example.

In the drawings:-

, Figure '1 represents a longitudinal section of one. embodiment of thecoupling according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a plan Viewthereof.

Figure 3 shows one of the coupling members of said embodiment viewedfrom left to right in Figure 2.

' Figure4 is a planview of a second embodiment of the invention.

Figures 5 and 6 are a longitudinal section and a plan view respectivelyof a third embodiment.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the couplingcomprises two disk-like members 1 and 2 integral withhub portionssecured each to a shaft 3 and 4 respectively, the coupling membersfacing one another at a certain mutual distance.

In the example shown, the coupling member 1 is flanged and provided withtwo diametrically opposed axial grooves, preferably in the form of openchannels 5 and 6 extending through the flange, the couplingmember 2being also flanged and provided with two similar grooves 7 and 8.

Viewed in the axial direction, the grooves 5 and 6 of the couplingmember 1 are angularly displaced, by a suitable amount relatively to thenearest grooves '7 and 8 respectively of the coupling member 2, as shownin Fig. 2. Resilient connection between the two coupling members isafforded by two springs 9 and 10, the one of which 9 extends between thegroove 5 of coupling member 1 and the groove 8 of coupling member 2,while the other spring 10 extends between the 55 groove '7 of couplingmember 2 and the groove 6 of coupling member 1, theend portions of bothsprings entering the respective "grooves of the two coupling members. Itwill be seen from Figs. 1-3 that in this construction the two springsare conceived as straight resilient bars extending laterally of the axisof the coupling parallel to and at some distance from each other asdeter mined by the displacement of the grooves 5 and 6 relatively to thegrooves '7 and 8 respectively.

It will be seen that the inner 'ends of the grooves terminate at theinner portions of the flanges so that the bottoms'of the grooves areinreality a continuation of the outer face of the discs proper. By thisarrangement the grooves form substantial pockets so as to completelyhouse the ends of the springs.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 4, coupling member 1 isprovided with one radial groove 5 only and coupling member 2 similarlywith a single radial groove 8, said grooves being displaced by 180degrees relatively to each other, and the two coupling members beingconnected by a single, preferably straight spring bar 9 intersecting theaxis of the coupling and entering with its end portions into the twogrooves.

According to the third embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, theindividual coupling members 1 and 2 are each provided with twodiametrically opposed radial grooves 5, 6 and '7, 8 respectively,

as in the construction shown in Figs. 1-3.

In difference, however, from the arrangement according to Fig. 2 thegrooves 5 and 6 of coupling member 1 are not angularly displacedrelatively to the grooves '7 and 8 respectively of coupling thrust intoand extending between the grooves 5,

8 and '7, 6 respectively as in the first described embodiment. In thelast described construction, however, where all of the grooves are in"the same axial plane and any straight spring bars would meet andinterfere with each other .atthe center of the coupling, the springsactually used are curved at their central portions, as indicated at 11and 12 in the drawings, so as to extend freely past one another.

The springs used in all of the embodiments described are conceived assteel bars, but any other suitable resilient material may be employedfor the springs, or any of them, as the case may be. A flattened shapeof the spring bars with a rectangular cross section may be preferredinsome constructions, while in others a circular or other cross sectionmay be found more serviceable.

In small couplings of the type described, both coupling members 1 and 2may be made from 5 hard rubber, and in large couplings where the springsar e subjected to severe stresses, the bearing surfaces of the groovestaking up the pressure of the springs may be covered with rubber orleather as indicated at 13 in Fig. 3. This rubber or leather coveringalso contributes toward silent running.

To prevent the springs, in the constructions shown, from falling outthrough the outwardly open grooves, where such are used to receive theend portions of the springs, acircumferential sleeve or drum 14 may besecured to one of the coupling members, such as member 1, which is ofslightly greater diameter than the other c-oupling member, such asmember 2, a small clearance being thus provided between thesleeve andthe latter coupling member. The sleeve may be flxed, for instance, by aradial s'crew,a s shown in Fig. 1, or preferably by an axially extendingscrew 16, as shown in Fig. 2, the sleeve being'in the latter caseprovided with a radially extending flange, as illustrated. Where silentrunning or electrical insulation is aimed at, an intervening layer 1'7of leather or other suitable material may be provided. I The function ofthe coupling, that is to say the manner in which the springs transmit arotary movement from the one coupling member to the other will beunderstood without further explanation, with reference to the drawingsand the description hereinbefore.

' What I claim'is:

1. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, twodiskmembers facing each other, flange portions on said disk members directedagainst each other to' form a substantially closed s ace between thedisk members, said flange port ns having each axial grooves on oppositesides of the axis of rotation of the coupling, and spring membersextending each from within a groove of the one disk member through saidspace into 'a groove ofthe other disk member on the pposite side of saidaxis to resiliently connect said ,disk'members, and said grooves havingtheir ,bfottomlportions flush with the faces of the disc members inorder that the depth will be suflicient to completely house the ends ofthe said spring members and form substantial receiving pockets therefor.l 2; A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, two ,diskmembers facing each oth- 'er, flange portions on said disk members.dijrected against each other to 'form' a substantially closed spacebetween the disk members, said flange' portions having eachdiametrically opposed axial grooves each of which is angularly displacedrelatively to the nearest groove in "the flange of the adjacent diskmember, and

spring members extending in parallel planes from within each groove ofthe one disk member throughsaid space into the corresponding groove ,ofthe other disk member on the opposite side of the axis of rotation ofthe coupling to resiliently connect said disk members.

3. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, a flanged diskmember facing another fianged disk member of smaller diameter than thefirst disk member, the flange portion of each disk member being groovedaxially, resilient means extending from within a groove in the flange ofthe one disk member into a groove in the flange of the other disk memberon the opposite side of the axis of rotation of the coupling, and acircumferential sleeve on the flange of the larger disk member,extending with a clearance over the flange of the smaller disk member.

4. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, a flanged diskmember facing another flanged disk member of smaller diameter than thefirst disk member, the flange portion of each disk member havingdiametrically opposed axial grooves each of which is angularly displacedrelatively to the nearest groove in the flange of the adjacent diskmember, spring members extending in parallel planes from within eachgroove of the one disk memberfinto the 19 corresponding groove of theotherdisk member on the opposite side of the axis of rotation of thecoupling, and a circumferential sl'eeveon the flange of the larger diskmember, extending with a clearance over the flange of the 4,05 smallerdisk member;

5. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, a flanged diskmember facing another flanged dlsk member of smaller diameter thanthe'first disk member, the flange portion of each disk member beinggrooved axially, resilient means extending fromwithin a'groove in theflange 'of the one disk member into a groove in the flange of the otherdisk member on the opposite side of the axis of rotationo'f 1 15 thecoupling, a circumferentialsleeve on the" flange of the larger diskmember, extending with a clearance over the flange of the smaller diskmember, and a layer of acoustic or electrical insulating material nextto the sleeve on the inside thereof.

6. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising .in combination, two diskmembers'facing eachother and provided with substantially diametricallyopposed axial grooves, and'independe'nt flat resilient members extendingdirectly and substan- 't'ially diagonally from'one disk membe'r to theother and entering said groovesto resiliently connect said members' w r'7. A resilient shaft coupling, comprising in combination, two flangeddisk members facing each other and provided with circumferential groovesin the flange portions thereof on bpposite sides of the axis of rotationof the coupling, and independent resilient'means"extend-.135 ing' freelyand directly from within the groove of the one disk member into theg'roove ofthe other disk member on the opposite side of said axis toresiliently connect said' disk members.

GUSTAV EMANUE 'BRO E IH-

